Electric powertrain system for heavy duty vehicles

ABSTRACT

A battery assembly for an electric vehicle is provided that includes a housing, one or more battery units, and a mounting system. The one or more battery units are disposed within the housing. The mounting system is disposed adjacent to a top surface, e.g., on a planar top surface or within an upwardly oriented concavity. The mounting system has a frame member bracket and a housing bracket system. The housing bracket system includes a housing bracket, a load member and a vibration isolator. The housing bracket is configured to be coupled to the frame member bracket. The load member has a first portion disposed adjacent to an upper surface and a second portion disposed along a lateral portion of the housing. The vibration isolator is disposed between the load member and the housing bracket. The vibration isolator is configured to reduce load transmission from the frame member of the vehicle to the housing.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 C.F.R. § 1.57.

BACKGROUND Field

This application is directed to electric power systems for vehicles thatcan include a battery assembly and an accessory component assemblyconfigured to be in electrical and/or fluid communication with thebattery assembly.

Related Art

The use of alternative fuels for vehicles is becoming more prevalent. Agrowing trend is the use of electrical motors for propulsion,particularly in small passenger vehicles. However, such systems have notbeen widely commercialized in larger and/or heavy duty vehicles.

SUMMARY

In some examples disclosed herein modular systems are provided thatenable one or more battery assemblies to be paired with one or moreaccessory device assemblies. Modularity can provide expansion of storagecapacity and rapid assembly to existing chassis configurations. In someexamples, mechanical integration of a battery assembly into a vehicle isimproved. Such integration can provide improved vibration and shockisolation in mounting systems disposed. Such integration can maintainingress protection of assemblies that benefit from reduced exposure toor exclusion of moisture.

In one example, a modular electric vehicle system is provided thatincludes a plurality of battery assemblies for an electric vehicle and afront end accessory component assembly. The plurality of batteryassemblies each include a housing, one or more battery units and amounting system. The housing has a first lateral portion, a secondlateral portion, and a central portion. The housing includes an upwardlyoriented recess between the first and second lateral portions. The oneor more battery units is or are disposed within the housing at least inthe central portion. The mounting system is disposed at least partiallybetween the first lateral portion and the second lateral portion. Thefront end accessory component assembly is configured to mount to avehicle chassis. The front end accessory component assembly has a frameand plurality of vehicle accessory components coupled to the frame. Theframe is configured to mount to the chassis to simultaneously couple theplurality of vehicle accessory components to the chassis. The modularelectric vehicle system is configured such that the front end accessorycomponent can be placed in electrical communication and/or in fluidcommunication with one or more subsystems of the modular electricvehicle system.

In one example, the modular electric vehicle system is configured suchthat the front end accessory component can be placed in electricalcommunication and/or in fluid communication with one or more than one ofthe plurality of battery assemblies.

In another example, a battery assembly for an electric vehicle isprovided that includes a housing, one or more battery units, and amounting system. The housing has a lateral portion and a centralportion. The housing includes an upwardly oriented concavity between thelateral portion and the central portion. The one or more battery unitsare disposed within the housing at least in the central portion. Themounting system is disposed adjacent to or within the concavity. Themounting system further has a frame member bracket and a housing bracketsystem. The frame member bracket is configured to connect to a framemember of a vehicle. The housing bracket system includes a housingbracket, a load member and a vibration isolator. The housing bracket isconfigured to be coupled to the frame member bracket. The load memberhas a first portion disposed adjacent to an upper surface of the housingand a second portion disposed along the lateral portion. The vibrationisolator is disposed between the load member and the housing bracket.The vibration isolator is configured to reduce load transmission fromthe frame member of the vehicle to the housing.

In one variation, the vibration isolator is a first vibration isolatorand the battery assembly includes a second vibration isolator. The firstvibration isolator is configured to reduce vertical load transmissionfrom the frame member of the vehicle to the housing. The secondvibration isolator is disposed between the load member and the housingbracket. The second vibration isolator is configured to reducehorizontal load transmission from the frame member of the vehicle to thehousing.

In another example, a battery assembly for an electric vehicle isprovided that includes a housing, one or more battery units and afastener assembly. The housing has a concave shell with an internalspace and an opening for providing access to the internal space. The oneor more battery units are disposed within the internal space of thehousing. The fastener assembly is configured to secure another componentof the battery assembly to the concave shell while maintaining ingressprotection. The fastener assembly includes a bolt, a load spreadingmember and at least one seal member disposed in a recess of the loadspreading member. The recess is disposed on a side of the load spreadingmember facing or contacting the housing.

In another example, a battery assembly for an electric vehicle isprovided. The battery assembly includes a housing, one or more batteryunits, and a step assembly. The housing has a first lateral portion, asecond lateral portion, and a central portion. The one or more batteryunits is or are disposed within the housing. The step assembly has avehicle side comprising a mounting bracket and a step enclosure coupledwith the mounting bracket. A step can be on an outboard side of the stepassembly.

In one variation, the step assembly includes a crumple member. Thecrumple member can be disposed on or in the step enclosure. The crumplemember can be pre-crushed or weakened in a preferred direction. Thecrumple member can be configured to preferentially collapse in onedirection. The crumple member can be configured to absorb impact energyto reduce loads applied to other components of the battery assembliesdisclosed herein.

In one variation, the step is a lower step and the battery assembly alsoincludes an upper step. The upper step can be disposed on the outboardside or a top side of the step assembly at an elevation above anelevation of the lower step.

In another embodiment a battery assembly is provided that includes ahousing having a first lateral side, a second lateral side, and a planarportion extending along a top surface of the housing from the firstlateral side to the second lateral side. One or more battery units aredisposed within the housing. A mounting system is coupled with the topsurface and is configured to secure the housing below a vehicleassembly.

A modular electric vehicle system can be provided. The modular systemcan include any of the battery assemblies described in the precedingparagraph and an auxiliary component configured to be removeably coupledwith the top surface of the housing of the battery assembly. Theauxiliary component can comprise a lateral component configured to bedisposed laterally of the mounting system. The auxiliary component cancomprise a lateral component configured to be disposed laterally of themounting system. The auxiliary component can be configured to be mountedto the top surface of the housing between the mounting system and acentral vertical plane of the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of the invention can be better understood from the followingdetailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingschematic drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only. Thedrawings include the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a vehicle assembly;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the vehicle assembly shown in FIG. 1 with a cabassembly removed for clarity;

FIG. 3 is a front or rear side view of one example of a batteryassembly, shown mounted to longitudinal frame members of a frameassembly of the vehicle assembly of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3A is a schematic front or rear view of another example of abattery assembly with a U-shaped housing configuration, configured to bemounted to longitudinal frame members of a frame assembly of a vehicleassembly;

FIG. 3B is a schematic front or rear view of a modular battery assemblyhaving multiple components that can be assembled into a U-shaped housingconfiguration and that can be mounted to longitudinal frame members of aframe assembly of a vehicle assembly;

FIG. 3C is a schematic front or rear view of a modular battery assemblyhaving multiple components that can be assembled into a W-shaped housingconfiguration and that can be mounted to longitudinal frame members of aframe assembly of a vehicle assembly;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the battery and vehicle frame member assembly ofFIG. 3 ;

FIGS. 4A-4E illustrate details of a process of coupling the batteryassembly to longitudinal frame members of a frame assembly of a vehicleand for routing electrical conveyances between the battery assembly andother vehicle electrical assemblies;

FIG. 5 is a top view similar to that of FIG. 4 with the longitudinalframe rails and frame member bracket removed;

FIGS. 6-7 are perspective and side views of a battery assembly showingdetails of a mounting system for supporting the battery assembly on aframe assembly;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the mounting system ofthe battery assembly of FIG. 5 taken at the section plane 8-8;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are perspective and cross-sectional views of an anchormember configured to maintain ingress protection of the housing of thebattery assembly of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view illustrating components of an housing and ofa step assembly of the battery assembly;

FIG. 11A-11D illustrate embodiments of fastener assemblies applied to aportion of the housing of the battery assembly of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 12 shows a step assembly separated from a lateral portion of abattery assembly;

FIG. 12A is an exploded views of one example of a step assembly;

FIG. 12B is a perspective view illustrating a multi-point load spreadingmember for supporting a step assembly to a housing of a batteryassembly;

FIG. 12C illustrates a housing side of the multi-point load spreadingmember of FIG. 12B; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a portion of a vehicle assembly withthe battery assembly positioned below the cab.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present description sets forth specific details of variousembodiments, it will be appreciated that the description is illustrativeonly and should not be construed in any way as limiting. Furthermore,various applications of such embodiments and modifications thereto,which may occur to those who are skilled in the art, are alsoencompassed by the general concepts described herein. Each and everyfeature described herein, and each and every combination of two or moreof such features, is included within the scope of the present inventionprovided that the features included in such a combination are notmutually inconsistent.

This application discloses inventive electrical power systems. Thesystems disclosed and claimed herein can include a battery assembly 100.The systems can include one or more battery assemblies 100. In someexamples, the one or more battery assemblies 100 can be configured to becoupled with or can be coupled with a front end accessory componentassembly 104. These systems can be modular such that for specificapplications more or fewer battery assemblies 100 can be provided and/orthe front end accessory component assembly 104 can be included or one ofseveral configurations of the front end accessory component assembly 104can paired with one or more battery assembly 100. These systems can behighly integrated. By providing such systems, a vehicle assembly 50 canbe quickly equipped to provide a battery assembly that can power anelectric motor and electrical accessories of the vehicle. The systemscan enable a front end accessory component assembly to be in electricaland/or fluid communication with multiple subsystems that operate in avehicle.

I. Vehicle Assembly Including Electrical Power System

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of a vehicle assembly 50 that can beequipped with one or more examples of systems disclosed herein. A fullyassembled vehicle would have more components than illustrated in FIG. 1, e.g., wheels, a hood, a cargo box disposed on the frame assembly 54and other components. But for simplicity of illustration these othercomponents are not shown. The vehicle assembly 50 includes a frameassembly 54 that includes frame members, such as a first longitudinalframe member 54A and a second longitudinal frame member 54B. The frameassembly 54 can be or can form a portion of a chassis. The vehicleassembly 50 can include a cab 56 rigidly coupled to the frame assembly54. The vehicle assembly 50 can include an articulating connectionbetween the cab 56 and a rear portion the frame assembly 54 in otherembodiments. The cab 56 can be disconnectable from the rear portion,e.g., as in a tractor-trailer configuration. Many other vehicle assembly50 can form an environment for deploying examples of systems disclosedherein.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view in which a battery assembly 100 iscoupled with the frame assembly 54. The battery assembly 100 can bemounted to the frame assembly 54 across a central longitudinal axis A1(see FIG. 2 ) of the frame assembly 54. FIG. 2 shows that in someexamples, the battery assembly 100 is elongate along a longitudinal axisA2. The battery assembly 100 can have a first set of sides that areparallel to the longitudinal axis A2 and a second set of sides that aretransverse to the longitudinal axis A2. The first set of sides can belong sides of the battery assembly 100. The battery assembly 100 can beconfigured such that either of the sides parallel to the longitudinalaxis A2 can be forward or rearward facing on the vehicle assembly 50when applied. The battery assembly 100 can be configured such thateither of the sides transverse to the longitudinal axis A2 can be on adriver side or a passenger side of the vehicle assembly 50 when applied.The battery assembly 100 can be oriented transverse to the longitudinalaxis A1 of the vehicle assembly 50 when coupled thereto. The batteryassembly 100 can be generally symmetrical about an axis perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis A2 (e.g., an axis central to the battery assembly100 or equidistant from the end portions thereof). In some cases, onlyone of the first set of sides has electrical connections, as can be seenby comparing the top of FIG. 4 to the bottom thereof and as described inmore detail below. Symmetry to the longitudinal axis A2 provides that atleast some of the connection features, e.g., the coolant connections,can be located in the same position regardless of which of the verticalfaces across the long direction of the battery assembly 100 is forwardfacing. The battery assembly 100 can be symmetrical to the longitudinalaxis A1 of the vehicle assembly 50 when the battery assembly 100 ismounted to the vehicle assembly 50. The symmetry about the longitudinalaxis A1 evenly distributes the weight of the battery assembly 100 on theframe assembly 54. This enables a mounting system for connecting thebattery assembly 100 to the vehicle assembly 50 to include the same orsimilar components on both sides of the longitudinal axis A1.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate at least three manners in which a modularelectric vehicle system can be provided. Such a modular system caninclude the battery assembly 100. FIG. 1 shows that the vehicle assembly50 can also have coupled therewith a front end accessory componentassembly 104. The front end accessory component assembly 104 can be asystem that can be mounted in a front end compartment 58 of the vehicleassembly 50. The front end compartment 58 can be of the same or asimilar configuration as is provided in a combustion engine vehicle.That is, the front end compartment 58 can be or can include a space or avolume that is enclosed by the chassis of the vehicle assembly 50 and bya hood (now shown for clarity). The volume and general form of front endcompartment 58 can be configured for an internal combustion engine. Thefront end accessory component assembly 104 can be shaped to occupyapproximately the same volume or less volume than is occupied by theconventional internal combustion engine for which the vehicle assembly50 was originally constructed. Said another way, the chassis includingthe frame assembly 54 and the front end compartment 58 can be originallydesigned for or can be compatible with an internal combustion engine,but can be diverted in manufacturing to an assembly including the frontend accessory component assembly 104. This enables the end customer toelect between internal combustion engines and electric motor propulsionof the vehicle. Some customers may require both propulsion types but maydesire the same overall vehicle configuration for other systems andsubsystems. Thus, the electric vehicle systems disclosed hereinadvantageously do not require a custom chassis or front end compartment58.

The front end accessory component assembly 104 can be configured tomount within the front end compartment 58 with some minimalmodifications. For example, the front end accessory component assembly104 can be coupled with brackets that can mount in convenient locationswithin the front end compartment 58. Such locations may be predefined bythe manufacturer of the vehicle assembly 50 or may be provided by theinstaller, for example drilling holes in the chassis as needed. In someembodiments, such brackets can be coupled near or even directly onexisting engine mounts that are provided for a conventional combustionengine. The mounts that would otherwise support the engine can be usedto support one or more support brackets coupled with the front endaccessory component assembly 104 in some applications.

A modular system can combine the battery assembly 100 and the front endaccessory component assembly 104 which can be placed in communicationwith each other, as discussed further below. A modular system cancombine the battery assembly 100 and a rear end electric componentassembly 108 which can be placed in communication with each other, asdiscussed further below. A modular system can combine the batteryassembly 100 and an axle drive assembly 112 which can be placed incommunication with each other. A modular system can combine a front endaccessory component assembly 104 and a rear end electric componentassembly 108 in some embodiments. A modular system can include any twoor more of the battery assembly 100, the front end accessory componentassembly 104, the rear end electric component assembly 108, and the axledrive assembly 112. Further modular systems can be provided byconfiguring the battery assembly with separable components, e.g., atlateral portions and/or in central portions as shown in FIGS. 3B-3C.

The position of various components of these modular systems can bevaried from one model to another. For example, the battery assembly 100can be mounted to a location of the frame assembly 54 that is rearwardof the cab 56 as in the vehicle assembly 50 (as in FIG. 1 ) or to alocation of the frame assembly 54 that is at least partially below thecab 56 as in the vehicle assembly 50A (as in FIG. 13 ). Positioning thebattery assembly 100 at least partially beneath the cab 56 canadvantageously allow the step assembly 260 to be located closer to theentry point of the cab 56 than the location seen in FIG. 1 . Thelocation of the step assembly 260 shown in FIG. 13 eases entry into thecab 56.

A. Modular Battery and Front End Accessory Component Assemblies

The front end accessory component assembly 104 can include a frame 800that is configured to mount to the chassis of the vehicle assembly 50 inthe front end compartment 58. The frame 800 advantageously enables acommon chassis that is design to support an internal combustion enginesto be equipped with electrical power systems. The frame 800 preferablycan be coupled with a mount features, e.g., plate(s), bracket(s), orrib(s) that are located in space to be positionable at, adjacent to oron a surface of the chassis or even in some applications directly onengine mount portions of the chassis in the front end compartment 58. Ifplaced on the surface of the chassis, the plate(s), bracket(s), orrib(s) can be secured at pre-existing holes or at holes that are formedin the chassis for the front end accessory component assembly 104. Theoverall volume and shape as well as the mount features coupled to theframe 800 enable the front end accessory component assembly 104 to bedirectly placed in the front end compartment 58 and coupled to thechassis of the vehicle assembly 50 without significant or anymodification of the structure surrounding the front end compartment.

The front end accessory component assembly 104 also can have one or morevehicle accessories coupled therewith so that when the frame 800 iscoupled to the frame assembly 54, the accessories are simultaneouslymounted to the frame assembly 54 or other chassis component at the sametime that the frame 800 is mounted thereto. The front end accessorycomponent assembly 104 can include a first vehicle accessory 804 thatcan be a heat exchanger, such as a chiller for controlling thetemperature of coolant within an acceptable operational range. The heatexchanger 804 can include and/or be in fluid communication with fluidconduits that can be disposed between the front end accessory componentassembly 104 and the battery assembly 100. The coolant conduits areconfigured to convey cooling fluid or coolant from the heat exchanger804. As discussed above, the symmetry of the battery assembly 100 aboutthe longitudinal axis A2 enables such conduit(s) to be fluidly coupledto either side of the battery assembly that is parallel to thelongitudinal axis A2 such that the battery assembly can have twoequivalent positions about a vertical axis. In some variations, thebattery assembly 100 has a dedicated front side and the cooling fluidconduits can be connected such that upstream (cooler) portion of acooling loop connects to the front side of the battery assembly 100. Inother variations, a battery assembly 100 with a dedicated front side canbe connected such that upstream (cooler) portion of a cooling loopconnects to the rear side of the battery assembly 100.

The front end accessory component assembly 104 can include a secondvehicle accessory 808 that serves a different function from the firstvehicle accessory 804. For example, the second vehicle accessory 808 caninclude an electrical accessory such as a fluid pump to convey coolantfrom the heat exchanger 804 of the front end accessory componentassembly 104 to the battery assembly 100. The second vehicle accessory808 could be one or more of an air compressor, a current drivencomponent, a controller for a thermal system, a power steering fluidpump, a heater core, a voltage converter, a fan, power distribution unitfor high voltage uses, power distribution unit for low voltage uses, andany other sort of controller that receives electric current or thatcontrols an aspect of the operation of the battery assembly 100 oranother electrical component. The first vehicle accessory 804 and thesecond vehicle accessory 808 could both be electrical components such asthose listed above or elsewhere herein. The first vehicle accessory 804and the second vehicle accessory 808 could both be thermal managementcomponents, such as heat exchangers in some applications.

As explained in greater detail below, the modular electric vehiclesystem shown in FIGS. 1-2 combines the front end accessory componentassembly 104 and the battery assembly 100 such that front end accessorycomponents can be placed in electrical communication and/or in fluidcommunication with the battery assembly 100. In some variations modularsystems combine the front end accessory component assembly 104 and therear end electric component assembly 108 such that thermal management,current supply or component control can be coordinated among theseassemblies. Modular systems can combine the battery assembly 100 withone or more of the front end accessory component assembly 104, the rearend electric component assembly 108, or the axle drive assembly 112.

FIG. 2 illustrates that in another sense a modular system can beprovided with two or more battery assemblies 100. The battery assembly100 in solid lines is shown to be augmented by a second battery assembly100 in dashed lines. The second battery assembly 100, illustrated indashed line, can be located behind a first battery assembly 100. Thebattery assemblies 100 can be mounted in a linear array along thelongitudinal axis A1 of the vehicle assembly 50. Although not shown inFIG. 2 , a location for a second or subsequent battery assembly 100 canbe forward of the location of the solid line battery assembly 100. Aforward location can be directly under the cab 56 in a modular systemwith one, two, or more than two battery assemblies 100. When disposeddirectly under the cab 56 (as in FIG. 13 ) the battery assembly 100 canadvantageously have one or more steps directly mounted thereon to enablea driver or passenger to enter or exit the cab 56. As discussed furtherbelow a lower step and an upper step can be integrated into a stepassembly that is supported directly by a housing of the battery assembly100 to enable battery units in the battery assembly 100 and the stepassembly to be simultaneously attached to the frame assembly 54 to makethe assembly of the modular system or of the battery assembly 100 to thevehicle assembly 50 more efficient for the end user. In some cases,modular systems can be formed from a small number of variants of thebattery assembly 100, such as providing one or more battery assembly 100with one or more steps and one or more battery assembly 100 withoutsteps, which variant can be combined in a system based on the need foror the positions of steps. Mounting the steps directly on the batteryassembly 100 can enable the vehicle assembly 50 to have a smallerlateral profile by eliminating separate support members to support thesteps.

In another modular system, the front end accessory component assembly104 is not provided. Instead front end accessories are mounted inanother manner, e.g., separately within the front end compartment 58 orelsewhere at other locations of the vehicle assembly 50. A modularsystem can include one or more battery assemblies 100 and the rear endelectric component assembly 108. A modular system can include aplurality of battery assemblies 100 to provide for greater range from afully charged condition to a fully depleted condition than in a systemwith only one battery assembly 100. The battery assemblies 100 areadvantageously configured for flexible connection to the vehicleassembly 50, e.g., in a forward facing direction on the frame assembly54 or in a rearward facing direction on the frame assembly 54. In somecases, one of the battery assembly 100 can be forward facing and anothercan be rearward facing. The battery assembly 100 can be symmetrical suchthat forward and rearward facing mounting includes providing thelongitudinal axis A2 transverse to, e.g., perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis A1. The battery assembly 100 can be asymmetrical as tosystem connections, e.g., with dedicated coolant inflow manifolds suchthat forward facing provides a dedicated inflow manifold side of thebattery assembly 100 forward of a dedicated fluid outflow manifold wheninstalled on the frame assembly 54. The battery assembly 100 can beasymmetrical as to electrical connection such that the power cables areonly attached at one side of the battery assembly 100.

The flexibility in connection fosters a modular system that can allowthe battery assembly 100 to be mounted to the frame assembly 54 as spacepermits. The symmetry of the battery assembly 100 about the longitudinalaxis A1, when provided, allows the battery assembly 100 to have the sameweight balance regardless of which of the long faces is forward facingwhen the battery assembly 100 is installed on the frame assembly 54. Insome cases, heat transfer systems of the battery assembly 100 allowfluid to deliver coolant to a coolant flow path in the battery assembly100 from either of two manifolds at the ends of the coolant flow paths.This can allow the end user to determine whether to dedicate a shortercoolant conduit to the cooler side or to the hotter side of the batteryassembly 100. A longer conduit on the hotter side of the batteryassembly 100 may enable some heat to dissipate before entering a heatexchanger, which could enable a smaller or less costly heat exchanger tobe used.

B. Battery Assembly Having a Mounting System with Enhanced LoadIsolation

FIGS. 3-8 show examples of how the battery assembly 100 can be coupledwith the frame assembly 54, e.g., with the first longitudinal framemember 54A and/or the second longitudinal frame member 54B. The batteryassembly 100 can have a mounting system 240 that can be configured tosupport the battery assembly 100 from these or other frame members of achassis or frame assembly 54 of the vehicle assembly 50.

In one embodiment, the battery assembly 100 includes a housing 200 thatencloses one or more battery units 220 therein. The housing 200 can havea W-shaped or gull-wing shape configuration. The W-shape of the housing200 can include a first lateral portion 204 and a second lateral portion208. The second lateral portion 208 can be separated from or spacedapart from the first lateral portion 204 by a central portion 212 of thebattery assembly 100. FIG. 3 shows that the central portion 212 of thehousing 200 can be include a recessed surface, e.g., when viewed from arear or front side of the battery assembly 100. Stated another way, thecentral portion 212 provides an upwardly oriented concavity or spacebetween one or both of the first lateral portion 204 and second lateralportion 208 and the central portion 212. The central portion 212 is oneof the locations of the battery assembly 100 where the battery unit(s)220 are disposed within the housing. The battery units 220 can also bein the first lateral portion 204 or the second lateral portion 208 ofthe housing 200. In one embodiment a further recess 215 can be providedbetween the central portion 212 and the first lateral portion 204. Arecess 215 can be positioned between the central portion 212 and thesecond lateral portion 208. A recess 215 can be provided between thecentral portion 212 and each of the first lateral portion 204 and thesecond lateral portion 208 in a symmetrical configuration. The centralportion 212 can be omitted in some embodiments, such as where a U-shapedhousing is provided (see, e.g., FIGS. 3A and 3B discussed below), or canbe optionally provided in a modular system (see, e.g., FIG. 3C discussedbelow). One or both of the first lateral portion 204 and the secondlateral portion 208 can optionally be provided in a modular system, suchthat a flat housing, a U-shaped housing (see, e.g., FIG. 3B) or amodular formed W-shaped housing (see, e.g., FIG. 3C) can be provided.

The housing 200 is configured to be exposed to the road beneath thevehicle when the battery assembly is coupled to the vehicle assembly 50.The battery assembly 100 can be mounted to the bottom or underside ofthe chassis or frame assembly 54 of the vehicle assembly 50. Thisconfiguration allows the battery assembly 100 to be quickly attached toand removed from the vehicle assembly 50 as needed. This designfacilitates exchanging the battery assembly 100 upon depletion of thecharge therein rather than recharging the battery assembly, whichprovide a more rapid redeployment of the battery assembly 100 for longerhaul uses.

FIG. 3 shows that in one example, the mounting system 240 disposed atleast partially between the first lateral portion 204 and the secondlateral portion 208, e.g., is disposed adjacent to or within theconcavity on a top side of the battery assembly 100. The housing 200 canhave an upper surface 214 that extends over the central portion 212. Thefurther recess 215 can be located along the upper surface 214 on one orboth sides of the central portion 212 which can be raised relative tothe recess 215. The central portion 212 can have lesser height than thefirst lateral portion 204 and/or the second lateral portion 208 in oneexample. In another example, the central portion 212 can have a greaterheight, e.g., if clearance between the first longitudinal frame member54A, second longitudinal frame member 54B is sufficient. The recess 215enables at least a portion of the height of the mounting system 240 tobe disposed at a lower elevation than the central portion 212. Therecess 215 can enable the location for mounting to the firstlongitudinal frame member 54A or second longitudinal frame member 54B tobe below the first lateral portion 204 and/or second lateral portion208. In some embodiments, the recess 215 has a lateral width (in thedirection of the longitudinal axis A2) that is greater than the lateralwidth of the mounting system 240 and of the first longitudinal framemember 54A and/or second longitudinal frame member 54B. This allows eventhe first longitudinal frame member 54A or second longitudinal framemember 54B to be received at or even at least partially below the top ofthe central portion 212. A lower portion of the frame assembly 54 can belocated at the same height as the upper surface 214 of the housing 200in the central portion 212. Where space permits the central portion 212can extend above a lower portion of the frame assembly 54 such thatadditional battery units or other components can be disposed in thehousing 200 of the battery assembly 100.

FIG. 4 is a partial top view of an assembly including the frame assembly54 and the battery assembly 100. The assembly shows that the firstlongitudinal frame member 54A can extend along the direction of thelongitudinal axis A1. The first longitudinal frame member 54A can belocated inboard of two mounting systems 240, one located at a forwardpart of the battery assembly 100 (top of the figure) and one located ata rearward side thereof (bottom of the figure). In this context, inboardmeans between the mounting system 240 and the longitudinal axis A1 ofthe vehicle assembly 50. The mounting system 240 can be located outboardof the first longitudinal frame member 54A. In this context outboardmeans that the component that is outboard is located farther from thelongitudinal axis A1 than the other component. The mounting systems 240can be located between the first lateral portion 204 and the firstlongitudinal frame member 54A when the battery assembly 100 is assembledto the vehicle assembly 50. Similarly, two mounting systems 240 can belocated between the second lateral portion 208 and the longitudinal axisA1 of the vehicle assembly 50. The second longitudinal frame member 54Bcan be disposed inboard of (toward the axis A1) the mounting systems240. The mounting system 240 can be located outboard of (away from theaxis A1) the second longitudinal frame member 54B. Of course more thantwo mounting system 240 can be provided for a given battery assembly100. In some cases, the battery assembly 100 can be supported by asingle mounting system 240. The longitudinal frame members 54A, 54B canextend between the mounting systems 240 and the central portion 212.

FIGS. 4B and 4C show that the mounting system 240 further includes aframe member bracket 400 and a housing bracket system 402. The framemember bracket 400 is configured to connect to a frame member (e.g., aportion of a chassis) of a vehicle, such as the first longitudinal framemember 54A or the second longitudinal frame member 54B. The frame memberbracket 400 can include a mounting hole, an array of mounting holes. Insome examples, the frame member bracket 400 includes two or more arraysof mounting holes. FIG. 4C shows that the frame member bracket 400 caninclude a first array of holes on an inboard side 432 of the framemember bracket 400. The inboard side can be a side that faces the firstlongitudinal frame member 54A, for example, and is directed coupled toan outboard side thereof. One or more, e.g., all of a plurality of holesof the holes of the array of holes on the inboard side 432 of the framemember bracket 400 can align with one or more, e.g., all of a pluralityof holes on the first longitudinal frame member 54A. When so alignedbolts or other fasteners can secure the inboard side 432 of the framemember bracket 400 to the first longitudinal frame member 54A. The framemember bracket 400 can be configured to mount to the housing bracketsystem 402 as discussed further below. For example, the frame memberbracket 400 can have a transverse side 434 extending transversely awayfrom the inboard side 432. The transverse side 434 can be outboard ofthe inboard side 432 in one embodiment. The transverse side 434 of theframe member bracket 400 can have one or more or an array of holesdisposed therethrough to secure a portion of the housing bracket system402 thereto as discussed further below.

The housing bracket system 402 is configured to support the weight ofthe battery assembly 100 through a housing bracket 406 when the housingbracket is coupled to the frame assembly 54 or other structuralcomponent of a chassis. The housing bracket 406 can be coupled to theframe assembly 54 by way of the bracket 400, discussed above. Thehousing bracket system 402 also is able to carry and to at least someextent absorb loads applied thereto through the frame assembly 54 andthe frame member bracket 400. The housing bracket system 402 can dampensuch loads such that less than the entirety of such loads aretransferred to the housing 200 and to the battery units 220 disposedtherein. The housing bracket system 402 is coupled with the housing 200.In one embodiment, the housing bracket system 402 includes a load member410 that can be coupled with the housing 200. The load member 410 caninclude a plurality of portions adapted to support functionally separatecomponents of the housing bracket system 402. The load member 410 caninclude a first portion 412 configured to contact the upper surface 214of the housing 200 and to be held thereon by a fastener system of afirst vibration isolator 416. FIG. 6 shows that opposite ends (e.g.,forward and rearward ends) of the load member 410 can each be held by afastener 440 of a first vibration isolator 416. The load member 410 canbe configured to convey loads from the first vibration isolator 416 andfrom a second vibration isolator 418 to the frame member bracket 400 andthereby to the frame assembly 54. The load member 410 can also include asecond portion 414 that is angled relative to the first portion 412. Theangled configuration increases the stiffness of the load member 410which enables the load member 410 to support the loads from the twosecond vibration isolators. The second portion 414 also extends to aheight to support a second vibration isolator 418 at an elevation abovethe first portion 412.

The load member 410 also includes a isolator support portion 415 that isdisposed between the first portion 412 and the second portion 414. Theisolator support portion 415 provides an upright member to which thesecond vibration isolator 418 can be secured, as discussed furtherbelow. The isolator support portion 415 also includes a transverseportion to connect to the second portion 414. The isolator supportportion 415 can formed from the load member 410 or can be welded theretoThe load member 410 can be made of a highly rigid material, such asstructural steel. The load member 410 can be openings therein to reduceits weight where load support is not needed. For example, the loadmember 410 also includes an opening between two opposing isolatorsupport portions 415.

FIGS. 6-7 show that the load member 410 can support two housing bracketsystem 402, one at a first side portion of the housing 200 and one at asecond side opposite the first side. The first side can be a front sideof the housing 200 in one application. The second side can be a rearside of the housing 200. As discussed above, the battery assembly 100can be symmetrical about the longitudinal axis A2 such that the firstside can be a rear side and the second side can be a front side in oneapplication. The function of the load member 410 could be separated intotwo separate members in some examples. By providing a single unitaryload member 410 the fastener 440 of the housing bracket system 402adjacent to the first side and the fastener 440 of the housing bracketsystem 402 adjacent to the second side can be sufficient to securelyconnect the load member 410 to the housing 200.

As discussed above, the mounting system 240 can also include a firstvibration isolator 416. The first vibration isolator 416 is configuredto reduce vertical load transmission from the frame member 54A, 54B ofthe vehicle assembly 50 to the housing 200. The first vibration isolator416 can take many forms to provide this function. FIG. 8 illustrates oneexample in cross-section. The first vibration isolator 416 includes acompressible element 444 that can be made of a compressible butresilient material, such as rubber. Other harder materials can be usedif high load transmission is acceptable, e.g., if further vibrationisolation is provided between the mounting system 240 and the batteryunits 220. The compressible element 444 can include an upper portion446, a lower portion 448, and a neck portion 450. The compressibleelement 444 can be configured with a disk or annular shape and generallyis wider (in the horizontal direction) than is its thickness (in thevertical direction). The lower portion 448 can have a similar shape tothe compressible element 444. The neck portion 450 can be a portion witha narrower dimension in the horizontal direction than is one or both ofthe compressible element 444 or the lower portion 448. The compressibleelement 444 can be formed as a unitary body from a top of the upperportion 446 to a bottom of the lower portion 448 in some embodiments.The compressible element 444 can have a passage or a channel through thecompressible element 444 for the fastener 440 as seen in FIG. 8 . Thelower surface of the lower portion 448 can be placed on an upper surfaceof the first portion 412 of the load member 410. The housing bracket 406can have an aperture or a recess at a lower portion thereof that allowsa portion of the housing bracket 406 around the aperture or recess to bedisposed in the neck portion 450 of the compressible element 444.Transverse load spreading members, such as washers, can be placedbetween a head portion of the fastener 440 and the top surface of theupper portion 446 and between a lower surface of the upper portion 446and the housing bracket 406, for example. In some embodiments, a spacer447 can be provided to space the upper portion 446 from the lowerportion 448 of the first vibration isolator 416.

The housing bracket system 402 can secure the housing bracket 406 in amiddle portion of the compressible element 444. The housing bracket 406can be sandwiched between the upper portion 446 and the lower portion448. The upper portion 446 and the lower portion 448 can mutually applycompression load to the housing bracket 406 such that the housingbracket 406 is securely held between the upper portion 446 and the lowerportion 448. A vertical load (up and down in FIG. 8 ) will initially beabsorbed by the compressible element 444 before a lesser load istransferred to the housing 200 through the anchor member 248 asdescribed further below.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate that the second vibration isolator 418 can bedisposed between the load member 410 and the housing bracket 406. Thesecond vibration isolator 418 can be configured to reduce horizontalload transmission from the frame member of the vehicle to the housing.The second vibration isolator 418 can have the same configuration as thefirst vibration isolator 416 but generally be mounted along an axis thatis transverse to the axis along which the first vibration isolator 416is mounted (e.g., transverse to the longitudinal axis of the fastener440 shown in FIG. 8 ). The second vibration isolator 418 is supported onthe isolator support portion 415 or another upstanding portion of theload member 410. Loads in the horizontal direction are conveyed betweenthe frame member bracket 400 and the housing bracket 406. Generallyhorizontal loads (or horizontal components of loads) from the vehicleassembly 50 are conveyed to the housing 200 through the second vibrationisolator 418. The first vibration isolator 416 and the second vibrationisolator 418 provide a combination of separate load isolation members.The first vibration isolator 416 and the second vibration isolator 418allow load in any direction to be axially supported, e.g., to besupported in compression or tension and not in a bending mode. This loadtransfer arrangement reduces twisting forces on the battery assembly 100which can reduce failure modes. In addition to vibration isolation, thefasteners 440 through the first vibration isolator 416 provides formounting from the battery to the frame member bracket 400 and thehousing bracket 406 of the mounting system 240. In the event of aforward loading condition, such as emergency braking maneuver or crash,this additional mounting provision enables the battery assembly 100 toremain secure under heavy loading conditions.

The mounting system 240 can be secured to the housing 200 in anysuitable manner. In some examples, it is preferred to maintain theingress protection of the housing 200. The mounting of a component suchas the mounting system 240 directly to the ingress protection housing200 could provide a point of ingress of moisture, which is to bereduced, minimized or avoided. FIG. 8 shows an ingress protecting anchormember 248 that can be used to secure the mounting system 240 to thehousing 200 while excluding moisture ingress routes. The anchor member248 includes a plate member 462. The plate member 462 has a blind recess466 formed therein. The blind recess 466 is configured to receive thefastener 440 disposed through the first vibration isolator 416. Theplate member 462 includes a blind recess 470. The blind recess 470 isformed on a surface or into of the plate member 462 configured to face,e.g., to abut, an inside surface of the housing 200. The blind recess470 incudes at least one flat surface 472 configured to restrictrotation of an internally threaded member 474 (e.g., a nut) disposedtherein.

The plate member 462 can be secured to an inside of the housing 200,e.g. to a frame member therein in any suitable manner. In one case, aplurality of tapered head fasteners 476 is used to pull the top surfaceof the plate member 462 up into engagement with the inside surface ofthe housing 200. The fasteners 476 can create compression on a gasket478 disposed in a channel in the upper surface of the plate member 462.The gasket 478 can be compressed onto an inside surface of the housing200. The gasket 478 provides an additional measure of protection byblocking the flow or migration of any moisture from the blind recess 470through the interface between the plate member 462 and the insidesurface of the housing 200. The gasket 478 can have an annular shape asseen in FIG. 9 .

Another annular gasket 480 can be provided in an interface between anupper surface 214 of the housing 200 (e.g., a cover thereof) and aninternal structure (e.g., a frame member disposed below the cover), asseen in FIG. 8 . The gasket 480 can limit flow of moisture into thehousing 200 through the interface between a cover and a frame member ofthe housing 200 when the fastener 440 is tightened to the ingresspreventing anchor member 248.

C. Coupling the Battery Assembly to a Frame Assembly

FIGS. 4B-4C illustrate a method of connecting the battery assembly 100to the frame assembly 54. First, the frame member bracket 400 can beinstalled on the first longitudinal frame member 54A and on the secondlongitudinal frame member 54B. FIG. 4C shows that in some cases twoframe member bracket 400 are installed on each of the first longitudinalframe member 54A and the second longitudinal frame member 54B. A forwardframe member bracket 400 can be mounted such that the inboard side 432thereof extends forwardly. A rearward frame member bracket 400 can bemounted such that the inboard side 432 thereof extends rearwardly. Thetransverse side 434 of the forward frame member bracket 400 can berearward of the inboard side 432 thereof. The transverse side 434 of therearward frame member bracket 400 can be forward of the inboard side 432thereof.

The battery assembly 100 can be disposed beneath the frame memberbrackets 400 as shown in FIG. 4B and lifted into position such that thebattery assembly 100 can be secured to the frame assembly 54. FIB. 4Cshows the battery assembly 100 partially lifted such that the housingbracket 406 and the frame member bracket 400 are overlapping. Thehousing bracket 406 disposed on the battery assembly 100 can be alignedwith the transverse side 434 of the frame member brackets 400. Then thebattery assembly 100 can be raised into position such that the housingbrackets 406 are disposed on the outboard sides of the firstlongitudinal frame member 54A and the second longitudinal frame member54B. In one method, a forward housing bracket 406 and a rearward housingbracket 406 on the outboard side of the first longitudinal frame member54A are both longitudinally between (in the direction longitudinal axisA1) the transverse side 434 of a forward frame member bracket 400 andthe transverse side 434 of a rearward frame member bracket 400 mountedon the outboard side of the first longitudinal frame member 54A.Similarly, a forward housing bracket 406 and a rearward housing bracket406 on the outboard side of the second longitudinal frame member 54B areboth longitudinally between (in the direction longitudinal axis A1) thetransverse side 434 of a forward frame member bracket 400 and thetransverse side 434 of a rearward frame member bracket 400 mounted onthe outboard side of the second longitudinal frame member 54B. In onevariation, the frame assembly 54 is lowered relative to the batteryassembly 100 such that the frame member bracket 400 and the housingbracket 406 are aligned. Bolts can be provided through the hole(s) orarray of holes to secure the battery assembly 100 to the frame assembly54.

The connection at the vertical faces of the frame member bracket 400 andthe housing bracket 406 supports the battery assembly 100 at four spacedapart points of contact. The housing bracket system 402 provide one ormore, e.g., two load isolation system or isolators that can handle loadsin transverse directions, e.g., horizontal loads and vertical loadsseparately. This arrangement combines quick assembly, secure connectionand load isolation for the battery assembly 100.

D. Electrical Conveyance Tether Systems

As discussed above, the battery assembly 100 can be integrated into asystem that can include the front end accessory component assembly 104.The battery assembly 100 can be integrated into a system that caninclude the rear end electric component assembly 108. The batteryassembly 100 can be integrated into a system that can include the axledrive assembly 112. A system of the vehicle assembly 50 can include anyor all of the battery assembly 100, the front end accessory componentassembly 104, the rear end electric component assembly 108, and the axledrive assembly 112.

FIGS. 3 and 4D-4E shows details of one embodiment of an electricalconveyance tether system 280. The electrical conveyance tether system280 can control movement of high voltage cables coupled with the batteryassembly 100 such that the service life and safety thereof are enhanced.FIG. 3 shows that the electrical conveyance tether system 280 caninclude one or a plurality of clips 282 that can be disposed on one ofthe vertical faces of the battery assembly 100 aligned or parallel withthe longitudinal axis A2. The electrical conveyance tether system 280can include one or a plurality of clips 284 disposed on a top side orsurface of the battery assembly 100. The clips 284 can be disposed inthe recess 215 of the housing 200.

FIG. 4E shows that a first conductor pair 288A can be coupled with afirst contact 286A of the battery assembly 100. A second conductor pair288B can be coupled with a second contact 286B. The battery assembly 100can have two operationally separate groups of battery units 220. A firstgroup of the battery units 220 can be configured to provide current tothe first contact 286A. A second group of the battery units 220 can beconfigured to provide current to the second contact 286B. The firstconductor pair 288A can be coupled to the first contact 286A to conveythe current from the first group of battery units 220 to the front endaccessory component assembly 104. The second conductor pair 288B can becoupled to the second contact 286B to convey the current from the secondgroup of battery units 220 to the front end accessory component assembly104.

The clips 282 can be coupled along the length of the first conductorpair 288A and the second conductor pair 288B to hold a mid-span of thefirst conductor pair 288A or the second conductor pair 288B against thelong side of the housing 200. In one embodiment two clips 282 can becoupled with a vertically slung arc of the first conductor pair 288A toroute the first conductor pair 288A to a recess 215 on an opposite sideof the longitudinal axis A1 from the first contact 286A. The firstconductor pair 288A can transition to a horizontal span that is alignedwith a top surface of the housing 200. The horizontal span of the firstconductor pair 288A can be received and retained in the recess 215 ofthe housing 200. The horizontal span of the first conductor pair 288Acan be housed between the second lateral portion 208, the centralportion 212 and the upper surface 214 of the housing 200 in the vicinityof the recess 215. The first conductor pair 288A can be housed beneaththe second longitudinal frame member 54B, as illustrated in FIG. 3 . Thesecond conductor pair 288B can be routed in a similar manner from thesecond contact 286B, across the longitudinal axis A1 in a verticallyslung arc to a horizontal span disposed in the recess 215. Thehorizontal span of the second conductor pair 288B and/or of the firstconductor pair 288A can be secured by one or more of the clips 284. FIG.4E shows that the vertical arc of the first conductor pair 288A issecured by two clips 282. The vertical arc of the first conductor pair288B is secured by three clips 282. In other examples, the firstconductor pair 288A and/or second conductor pair 288B are secured byone, two, three or more clips 282.

The electrical conveyance tether system 280 enables the high voltageconductor pairs 288A, 288B to be routed outside of the frame assembly54. The second conductor pair 288B can be outboard of at least a portionof the inboard edge of the first longitudinal frame member 54A, e.g.,below and in a vertical area bounded by the inboard and outboard edgesof the first longitudinal frame member 54A. The first conductor pair288A can be outboard of at least a portion of the inboard edge of thesecond longitudinal frame member 54B, below and in a vertical areabounded by the inboard and outboard edges of the second longitudinalframe member 54B. This routing of the first conductor pair 288A and thesecond conductor pair 288B enables the space between the firstlongitudinal frame member 54A and second longitudinal frame member 54Bto be reserved for conduits of coolant loops and other components.

E. Battery Assembly Housing Including Tolerance Stack-Up Compensation

FIGS. 11-11D illustrate examples of the housing 200 in greater detail.The housing 200 includes an enclosure 500 that includes a number ofexternal and internal components. The housing 200 can includes a framestructure 508 that is disposed inside the enclosure 500 that that cansupport the battery units 220 and other internal components. The framestructure 508 can support and distribute a non-support load, e.g., aload from side impact.

FIG. 11 shows that the enclosure 500 can include a concave shell 504that at partially surrounds an internal space 512 for housing thebattery units 220. The concave shell 504 can include a sheet likeexternal member that is disposed over the frame structure 508 around theinternal space 512. The concave shell 504 contributes to providingsufficient ingress protection when assembled with outer components ofthe housing 200 as discussed further below. The concave shell 504 caninclude portions around upper segments of each of the first lateralportion 204, the second lateral portion 208, and the central portion212. The concave shell 504 can have a downward facing opening that canbe accessed from below and that provides access to the internal space512. The concave shell 504 can also have an upper opening that canenable the internal space 512 to be accessed from above. In one example,the downward facing or lower opening is larger than the upper opening. Atop cover 516 can be provided to at least partially enclose the upwardfacing opening of the concave shell 504. The top cover 516 can mate withan upper periphery of the concave shell 504 around the outer edges ofthe upward facing opening. FIG. 11 shows that the, in one embodiment,the top cover 516 can be disposed in the upwardly oriented recess 216,e.g., between the first lateral portion 204 and the second lateralportion 208. The top cover 516 can be disposed in the central portion212. A bottom cover 520 can be provided to enclose the downward facingopening of the concave shell 504. The bottom cover 520 can extend overany portion of the outer periphery of the lower face of the enclosure500. The bottom cover 520 can be configured to mate with an outerperiphery of the concave shell 504 on the bottom edge thereof.

One or both of the top cover 516 and the bottom cover 520 can beconfigured to contribute to maintaining sufficient ingress protectiontogether with the concave shell 504. For example, a gasket 518 can beprovided between the top cover 516 and the concave shell 504. The gasket518 can be compressed upon application of the top cover 516 to theconcave shell 504 such that moisture flow into the internal space 512between the concave shell 504 is limited or prevented under normalconditions of use of the battery assembly 100. A gasket 522 can bedisposed between the bottom cover 520 and the concave shell 504. Thegasket 522 can be compressed such that under normal conditions of use ofthe battery assembly 100 the gasket 522 limits or prevents moisture fromentering the internal space 512 between the bottom cover 520 and theconcave shell 504. The gasket 518 and the gasket 522 thus help tomaintain a sufficient level of moisture ingress protection. A fastener519 can be used to secure the top cover 516 and/or the bottom cover 520to the concave shell 504. The fastener 519 can include one of aplurality of bolts disposed around the periphery of the top cover 516 orthe bottom cover 520, e.g., through the gasket 518 and/or through thegasket 522.

In addition a fastener 540 can be provided to further connect theconcave shell 504 to the frame structure 508 and/or another load bearingmember to the enclosure 500 in a way preserving the level of ingressprotection to the internal space 512 despite a stack up of tolerances. Astack-up of tolerances can result from the assembly of a number ofcomponents, each of which has a tolerance level. The combination of thetolerances can result in a gaps that can make managing ingressprotection for moisture more difficult. The fastener 540 includes a loadspreading component 544 that includes a first load spreading member 544Aand a seal member 544B. The load spreading component 544 can alsoinclude a second load spreading member 544C and a seal member 544D. FIG.11A shows that where the second load spreading member 544C is separatefrom the first load spreading member 544A and from the fastener 540,there may be two seal member 544D. One of the two seal member 544D maybe positioned between the fastener 540 and the second load spreadingmember 544C. One of the two seal member 544D may be positioned betweenthe second load spreading member 544C and the first load spreadingmember 544A. One, both or all of the seal member 544B and the sealmembers 544D can be configured as an O-ring.

FIG. 11B shows that a seal member channel 548 can be provided in thefirst load spreading member 544A. The seal member channel 548 canreceive the seal member 544B to be provided and compressed between theseal member channel 548 and the outside surface of the concave shell504. The seal member 544B can be provided to prevent moisture to movethrough the interface between the first load spreading member 544A andthe concave shell 504 and into the internal space 512. The seal member544D prevents moisture from flowing between the second load spreadingmember 544C and the head of the fastener 540 and/or between the secondload spreading member 544C and the first load spreading member 544A. Insome embodiments, the seal member 544B is larger than the seal member544D. The seal member 544B can be about 1.5 inches in diameter in oneembodiment. The seal member 544B can be about two times larger than theseal member 544D in diameter. The seal member 544B can be about threetimes thicker than the seal member 544D. Preferably the seal member 544Bis deformation resistant, e.g., stiff, to resist deformation upontorqueing the fastener 440. The seal member 544B preferably isconfigured to achieve a clamp load by virtue of the stiffness thereof.

FIGS. 11C-11D show another embodiment of a load spreading component 564.The load spreading component 564 includes a load spreading member 568that can be disposed between an outside surface of the concave shell 504and a head portion of a fastener 540A. The load spreading member 568 canhave two channels disposed therein in the load spreading. The loadspreading component 564 can include a first seal member channel 570disposed on a side of the load spreading member 568 facing the concaveshell 504 and the concave shell 504. The seal member 544B can bedisposed in the first seal member channel 570. The load spreading member568 can include a second seal member channel 572 disposed on a side ofthe load spreading member 568 opposite the first seal member channel570. The second seal member channel 572 can face a head of the fastener540. A seal member 544B can be placed in the second seal member channel572. The fastener 540 can be coupled with another fastener components,e.g., a nut in the plate member 462 or a similar structure. Advancingthe fastener 540 into the nut causes compression of the seal member 544Bbetween the load spreading member 568 and the concave shell 504.Advancing the fastener 540 into the nut causes compression of the sealmember 544B between the load spreading member 568 and the concave shellhead of the fastener 540.

Advancing the fastener 540 provides ingress protection for moisturebetween two discrete possible moisture paths. The load spreadingcomponent 564 prevents ingress of moisture through multiple paths with asingle monolithic member. Specifically, the seal member 544B disposed inthe first seal member channel 570 between the prevents moisture fromentering the internal space 512 of the enclosure 500 through aninterface between the load spreading component 564 and the outer surfaceof the concave shell 504. The seal member 544B in the second seal memberchannel 572 prevents moisture from entering the internal space 512 ofthe enclosure 500 through an interface between the load spreadingcomponent 564 and the head of the fastener 540. Also, the load spreadingcomponent 564 enables a large tolerance gap 552 to be accommodatedwithout impacting the ability of the battery assembly 100 to remainappropriately free of moisture or to maintain moisture levels belowacceptable limits. The tolerance gap 552 can be a gap that is anaccumulation of tolerances from several parts. The tolerance gap 552 canbe up to 10 percent of the diameter of the shaft of the fastener 540.The tolerance gap 552 can be up to 20 percent of the diameter of theshaft of the fastener 540. The tolerance gap 552 can be up to 30 percentof the diameter of the shaft of the fastener 540. The tolerance gap 552can be up to 40 percent of the diameter of the shaft of the fastener540.

The lower surface of the load spreading member 568 can have an innerarea between the first seal member channel 570 that has a radial width,e.g., between the periphery of a central opening thereof and an inneredge of the first seal member channel 570, that is at least 10 percentof the diameter of the shaft of the fastener 540. The lower surface ofthe load spreading member 568 can have an inner area with a radial widththat is at least 20 percent, at least 30 percent, at least 40 percent,or at least vehicle assembly 50 percent of the diameter of the shaft ofthe fastener 540. Similarly, the lower surface of the first loadspreading member 544A can have an inner area between the seal memberchannel 548 that has a radial width, e.g., between the periphery of acentral opening thereof and an inner edge of the seal member channel548, that is at least 10 percent of the diameter of the shaft of thefastener 540. The lower surface of the first load spreading member 544Acan have an inner area with a radial width that is at least 20 percent,at least 30 percent, at least 40 percent, or at least vehicle assembly50 percent of the diameter of the shaft of the fastener 540. The innerarea of the first load spreading member 544A and the load spreadingmember 568 enable the seal member 544B to be outward of a hole such thata tolerance gap 552 can be accommodated while maintaining the sealmember 544B outside of the hole in the concave shell 504 such that theseal member 544B continues to maintain the seal as described above.

The first load spreading member 544A and the load spreading component564 as well as the assemblies into which they are incorporated enablesomewhat looser tolerances for these many components such that thebattery assembly 100 can be more economically produced.

F. Step Assembly

FIGS. 12 and 12A illustrate the step assembly 260 both separated fromthe enclosure 500 and in an exploded view format, respectively. The stepassembly 260 can include a step mounting bracket assembly 600 on anoutboard side of the housing 200. For example the step assembly 260 canbe mounted to a lateral side of the first lateral portion 204 of thehousing 200. The step assembly 260 can be mounted on the oppositelateral side, e.g., on the second lateral portion 208. The step assembly260 can be mounted on both sides of the housing 200, e.g., on the firstlateral portion 204 and on the second lateral portion 208.

The step assembly 260 can be an assembly including a vehicle side 612that is configured to be coupled with the housing 200. The vehicle side612 can also be an inboard side. The step assembly 260 can include alateral side 614 located on the opposite side from the vehicle side 612.The lateral side 614 can be an outboard side of the step assembly 260.The vehicle side 612 of the step assembly 260 can be configured to mateto the step mounting bracket assembly 600 as discussed further below.The step assembly 260 can include a lower step 620 and an upper step624. The lower step 620 can be disposed on the lateral side 614 of thestep assembly 260. The upper step 624 can be disposed on the lateral ora top side of the step assembly 260. The upper step 624 can be disposedat an elevation above an elevation of the lower step 620. The positionof the upper step 624 along the direction of the longitudinal axis A2can be inboard compared to the position of the lower step 620 such thata natural or comfortable step distance can be provided therebetween. Oneor both of the lower step 620 and the upper step 624 can includeroughened areas that have enhanced traction, as shown.

The step assembly 260 can include an enclosure 616 enclosing a spacetherein, the enclosure 616 configured to be coupled with the mountingbracket step mounting bracket assembly 600. The enclosure 616 canenclose a crumple member 618 disposed therein. The crumple member 618can be configured to collapse upon application of a load of a certaintype. For example, a side impact can cause the crumple member 618 toabsorb at least some of the energy of the impact by being crushed orcollapsing upon itself. In one embodiment, the crumple member 618includes a honeycomb structure that has high strength in somedirections, e.g., in a vertical direction. The crumple member 618 can becreased, pre-crumped, or non-uniformly weakened to some extent such thatthe collapse of the structure is predictable or planned or is in amanner that is preferred. The honeycomb structure can be aligned in avertical direction. For example, the longitudinal axes of the honeycombstructures can be aligned with the vertical direction. The honeycombstructures will collapse inwardly or transverse to the longitudinal axesthereof upon a side load above a threshold consistent with a sideimpact.

FIG. 12B shows more detail of how the step assembly 260 is mounted tothe first lateral portion 204 of the battery assembly 100. The stepmounting bracket assembly 600 can have a multi-point load spreadingmember 604 that is configured to receive and transfer a standard steploading and a side impact loading to the housing 200 in a plannedmanner. As with the fastener 540 and the load spreading component 564,the multi-point load spreading member 604 is configured to providesignificant load support on the housing 200 while at the same timepreserving or maintaining ingress protection. The multi-point loadspreading member 604 can include a first side 636 for mating with theenclosure 500 of the housing 200. The multi-point load spreading member604 can include a second side 638 opposite to the first side 636. Thesecond side 638 can be configured to mate the multi-point load spreadingmember 604 to the enclosure 500 of the housing 200. The second side 638can be configured to receive a first step support fastener aperture 650to support a load of the step assembly 260. The multi-point loadspreading member 604 can include a third side 642 between the first side636 and the second side 638. The third side 642 can be configured toreceive a second step support fastener aperture 652. The second stepsupport fastener aperture 652 can transfer a portion of the load of thestep assembly 260 to the multi-point load spreading member 604 andthereby to a frame member of the battery assembly 100.

FIG. 12C shows the multi-point load spreading member 604 in furtherdetail. The multi-point load spreading member 604 includes a pluralityof, e.g., three seal member channels 646. Each seal member channel 646can be configured to receive a seal member which can be similar to theseal member 544B. The seal members in the seal member channel 646provides ingress protection between the first side 636 of themulti-point load spreading member 604 and the side surface of theenclosure 500 of the housing 200.

The multi-point load spreading member 604 provides a feature that isattached to but is not otherwise fluidly connected to the interior ofthe enclosure 500. As a result, providing many apertures, such as thefirst step support fastener aperture 650 and the second step supportfastener aperture 652 in the multi-point load spreading member 604 doesnot increase the risk of ingress of moisture into the interior of theenclosure 500 of the housing 200.

FIG. 12B shows that the step assembly 260 can be mounted to themulti-point load spreading member 604 seven points. The illustratedembodiment provides two multi-point load spreading member 604, one for afront and one for a rear part of the step assembly 260. Each of themulti-point load spreading member 604 can be coupled to the stepassembly 260 at a plurality of points on the second side 638 (e.g., fourpoints on the second side 638) and another plurality of points on thethird side 642 (e.g., three points). The step assembly 260 can becoupled with the step mounting bracket assembly 600 at seven points. Inan assembly with a step mounting bracket assembly 600 at opposite endsof the step assembly 260, there can be fourteen points of connectioncompared to six structural mounts to the housing 200. This arrangementis one example of how the load can be spread to more than twice as manyspots on the housing 200 as the number of locations that the twomulti-point load spreading members 604 are mounted to the housing 200.

The step assembly 260 thus provides for extensive load support in astepping application. A honeycomb or similar configuration of thecrumple member 618 helps support the vertical load typical of stepping.The step assembly 260 also is pre-configured to absorb a side impactload and thereby to dissipate some of the energy of the side impact. Aportion of the load of a side impact is transferred through the batteryassembly 100 to the frame assembly 54 of the vehicle assembly 50.

II. Further Battery & Modular Assemblies

FIGS. 3A-3C show additional battery assemblies that can be provided andthat can include any of the components or features of the batteryassembly 100 described above. In addition, any of the battery assembliesof FIGS. 3A-3C can be combined into any of the systems described abovesuch as including the front end accessory component assembly 104, therear end electric component assembly 108, and/or the axle drive assembly112. Any of the features of the battery assemblies of FIGS. 3A-3C can becombined into the battery assembly 100 as such features are consistentwith the description of the battery assembly 100.

FIG. 3A shows a battery assembly 100A that can have a housing 200A iselongate along a longitudinal axis A2. The battery assembly 100A can beoriented such that the longitudinal axis A2 thereof is transverse to thelongitudinal axis A1 of a vehicle assembly to which the battery assembly100A is to be mounted. The housing 200A can include a first lateralportion 204 and a second lateral portion 208. The first lateral portion204 and the second lateral portion 208 can define a recess 215A disposedtherebetween. The recess 215A can be configured to receive firstlongitudinal frame member 54A and second longitudinal frame member 54Bof a frame assembly 54. A mounting system similar to the mounting system240 can be coupled to the housing 200A within the recess 215A. Themounting system could be disposed between a surface of the first lateralportion 204 facing the recess 215A and an outer surface of the firstlongitudinal frame member 54A. The mounting system could be disposedbetween a surface of the second lateral portion 208 facing the recess215A and an outer surface of the second longitudinal frame member 54B.

The housing 200A can include a central portion 212A disposed between thefirst lateral portion 204 and the second lateral portion 208. Thecentral portion 212A can have a flat configuration from the firstlateral portion 204 to the second lateral portion 208. Unlike thebattery assembly 100, the battery assembly 100A excludes a projectioninto the recess 215A. FIG. 3A shows a U-shaped profile from the endview. The battery assembly 100A provides more clearance for the frameassembly of a vehicle assembly with which the battery assembly 100A isto be coupled. This arrangement allows the space between the firstlongitudinal frame member 54A and the second longitudinal frame member54B to be occupied by other components and not to be occupied byportions of the housing 200A. In the illustrated embodiment the firstlongitudinal frame member 54A and the second longitudinal frame member54B can be partially or almost entirely received within the recess 215A.This can enhance or volume of the first lateral portion 204 and thesecond lateral portion 208 to contain battery units similar to thebattery units 220.

FIG. 3B shows another embodiment of a battery assembly 100B that can bemodular. The battery assembly 100B can include a housing 200B that canbe flat on a top side thereof. The housing 200B can be rectangular inouter profile. The housing 200B can enclose battery units 220. Thehousing 200B can be provided with a mounting system that can be similarto the mounting system 240 discussed above such that the rectangularhousing 200B can be mounted beneath the first longitudinal frame member54A and the second longitudinal frame member 54B. The battery assembly100B can optionally have one or more components that can be coupledthereto. For example, a first lateral component 204B can be providedthat can be secured to the housing 200B. In another embodiment a secondlateral component 208B is provided that can be secured to the housing200B. In one assembly the first lateral component 204B and the secondlateral component 208B are connected to the housing 200B.

The first lateral component 204B and the second lateral component 208Bcan be assemblies enclosing more battery units similar to the batteryunits 220 to optionally increase the energy storage capacity. One ormore of the first lateral component 204B and the second lateralcomponent 208B can include power distribution components (e.g., some orall of the electronics housed in the rear end electric componentassembly 108) to enable these components to be located with the housing200B in the battery assembly 100B. In some applications the lateralaspects of the housing 200B can be used to couple other components to avehicle assembly, such other components including any one or more of anaccessory battery (e.g., 12V battery), air tanks, traction batteries,power electronics, air compressor, radiators, fuel cells, hydrogentanks, or any other application specific items. Because space along theframe rails of a vehicle is limited and highly sought after there can bean advantage to combining the housing 200B with other electric vehiclecomponents or even with components of other vehicle systems.

The connection between the housing 200B and the first lateral component204B and/or the second lateral component 208B can vary depending on thenature of the first lateral component 204B and the second lateralcomponent 208B. These components can be mechanically secured to thehousing 200B by mechanical fasteners such as pins, bolts, clamps andother components. Depending on the application, the mechanical fastenerconnection can be secured to provide and/or maintain ingress protection,as described above. If the first lateral component 204B and the secondlateral component 208B are electrically integrated with the housing 200Ban electrical connection can be provided therebetween. An electricalconnector between the first lateral component 204B and the housing 200Bcan be provided, similar to a plug and socket. A conductive projectionon the first lateral component 204B or the housing 200B can be receivedin a conductive recess on the first lateral component 204B or housing200B across an interface 206. The interface 206 can be the locationwhere the outer surface of the lower side of the first lateral component204B rests on a top surface of the housing 200B. An electrical connectorbetween the second lateral component 208B and the housing 200B can beprovided, similar to a plug and socket. A conductive projection on thesecond lateral component 208B or the housing 200B can be received in aconductive recess on the second lateral component 208B or housing 200Bacross an interface 210. The interface 210 can be the location where theouter surface of the lower side of second lateral component 208B restson a top surface of the housing 200B. The interface 206 and theinterface 210 can be disposed along a same plane, e.g., a plane thatalso extends along the top surface of the recess 215A. One or more ofthe first lateral component 204B and the second lateral component 208Bcan be connected to the housing 200B by conductors or cables.

FIG. 3C shows a further embodiment of a battery assembly 100C that issimilar to the battery assembly 100B. The battery assembly 100C includesthe housing 200B, which can be a rectangular assembly as discussedabove. The first lateral component 204B and the second lateral component208B can optionally be provided as discussed above. In one variation, acentral component 212C can be provided and can be mounted to the housing200B along an interface 213. The central component 212C can be connectedin any of the ways described above in connection with the first lateralcomponent 204B. The central component 212C can include electricalcomponents configured to couple with battery units disposed in thesecond lateral component 208B. The central component 212C can includehousing similar to the battery units 220 and similar to the batteryunits housed in the housing 200B. If electrical components are providedin the central component 212C one or more projections can be provided ona lower side of the central component 212C. Such projections can beconfigured to extend into one or more recesses of the housing 200Bacross an interface 213 between the housing 200B and the centralcomponent 212C. The interface 213 can be disposed between a lowersurface of the housing of the central component 212C and an uppersurface of the housing 200B. One or more projections can be provided onan upper side of the housing 200B and can extend into one or morerecesses on a lower side of the central component 212C across theinterface 213. The central component 212C can include power distributioncomponents (e.g., some or all of the electronics housed in the rear endelectric component assembly 108) to enable these components to belocated with the housing 200B in the battery assembly 100C.

The battery assembly 100C provides for a rectangular housing 200Benclosing battery units that can be used by itself on a vehicle in afirst configuration. A second assembly can include the central component212C coupled with the housing 200B to provide more battery units, powerdistribution components or other components directly connected to thehousing 200B. A third assembly can include one of the first lateralcomponent 204B and second lateral component 208B. A fourth assembly caninclude both of the first lateral component 204B and second lateralcomponent 208B. A fifth assembly can include both of the first lateralcomponent 204B and second lateral component 208B and the centralcomponent 212C. Any other combination of the housing 200B, first lateralcomponent 204B, second lateral component 208B, and central component212C can be provided. Any of these components can be connected byprojection and recess arrangement, as described above, or with cablesand cable junctions that can be disposed outside of the interfaces 206,208, and 213.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in thesystems and methods described herein may be made without departing fromthe spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims and theirequivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as wouldfall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, thescope of the present inventions is defined only by reference to theappended claims.

Features, materials, characteristics, or groups described in conjunctionwith a particular aspect, embodiment, or example are to be understood tobe applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described inthis section or elsewhere in this specification unless incompatibletherewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification(including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or allof the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined inany combination, except combinations where at least some of suchfeatures and/or steps are mutually exclusive. The protection is notrestricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The protectionextends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the featuresdisclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims,abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination,of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Furthermore, certain features that are described in this disclosure inthe context of separate implementations can also be implemented incombination in a single implementation. Conversely, various featuresthat are described in the context of a single implementation can also beimplemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitablesubcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations, one or more features from a claimedcombination can, in some cases, be excised from the combination, and thecombination may be claimed as a subcombination or variation of asubcombination.

Moreover, while operations may be depicted in the drawings or describedin the specification in a particular order, such operations need not beperformed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or thatall operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Otheroperations that are not depicted or described can be incorporated in theexample methods and processes. For example, one or more additionaloperations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or betweenany of the described operations. Further, the operations may berearranged or reordered in other implementations. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that in some embodiments, the actual steps taken inthe processes illustrated and/or disclosed may differ from those shownin the figures. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the stepsdescribed above may be removed, others may be added. Furthermore, thefeatures and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above maybe combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all ofwhich fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Also, theseparation of various system components in the implementations describedabove should not be understood as requiring such separation in allimplementations, and it should be understood that the describedcomponents and systems can generally be integrated together in a singleproduct or packaged into multiple products.

For purposes of this disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novelfeatures are described herein. Not necessarily all such advantages maybe achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, forexample, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure maybe embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves one advantage or agroup of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving otheradvantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

Conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unlessspecifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within thecontext as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with thecontext as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may beeither X, Y, or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generallyintended to imply that certain embodiments require the presence of atleast one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z.

Language of degree used herein, such as the terms “approximately,”“about,” “generally,” and “substantially” as used herein represent avalue, amount, or characteristic close to the stated value, amount, orcharacteristic that still performs a desired function or achieves adesired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about”,“generally,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is withinless than 10% of, within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, withinless than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of the stated amount. Asanother example, in certain embodiments, the terms “generally parallel”and “substantially parallel” refer to a value, amount, or characteristicthat departs from exactly parallel by less than or equal to 15 degrees,10 degrees, 5 degrees, 3 degrees, 1 degree, or 0.1 degree.

The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by thespecific disclosures of preferred embodiments in this section orelsewhere in this specification, and may be defined by claims aspresented in this section or elsewhere in this specification or aspresented in the future. The language of the claims is to be interpretedbroadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited tothe examples described in the present specification or during theprosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed asnon-exclusive.

What is claimed is:
 1. A battery assembly for a vehicle, comprising: ahousing comprising: a first outboard side, a second outboard side, a topsurface disposed between the first outboard side and the second outboardside, and a vertical surface disposed between the first outboard sideand the second outboard side; one or more battery units disposed withinthe housing; and a mount for coupling the housing to the vehicle, themount comprising: a housing bracket having: a first portion disposedadjacent to the top surface of the housing and configured to be coupledto a frame member of the vehicle, and a second portion disposed abovethe top surface.
 2. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the mountfurther comprises a vehicle bracket having a first portion configured tobe coupled to the frame member of the vehicle and a second portionconfigured to be coupled to the first portion of the housing bracket. 3.The battery assembly of claim 2, wherein the vehicle bracket is aforward vehicle bracket, and wherein the mount further comprises arearward vehicle bracket.
 4. The battery assembly of claim 2, whereinthe mount is located on a first side of the vehicle and wherein thebattery assembly further comprises a second mount located on a secondside of the vehicle.
 5. The battery assembly of claim 2, wherein thesecond portion of the vehicle bracket portion is coupled to the firstportion of the housing bracket using one or more fasteners.
 6. Thebattery assembly of claim 2, wherein the first portion of the vehiclebracket is configured to be coupled to an outboard side of the framemember of the vehicle and the first portion of the housing bracket isconfigured to be coupled with a side surface of the second portion ofthe vehicle bracket.
 7. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein thefirst portion of the housing bracket is disposed between the outboardside and a central portion of the housing.
 8. The battery assembly ofclaim 1, further comprising a vibration isolator configured to becoupled to the housing.
 9. The battery assembly of claim 8, wherein thevibration isolator includes a compressible element disposed between thehousing and the housing bracket.
 10. The battery assembly of, claim 9wherein the compressible element comprises an upper portion, a lowerportion, and a neck portion disposed between the upper and lowerportions, a portion of the housing bracket being disposed in the neckportion.
 11. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the housingfurther comprises a central portion, a first lateral portion, and asecond lateral portion, wherein at least one of the central portion, thefirst lateral portion, or the second lateral portion project upwardrelative to the top surface of the housing.
 12. The battery assembly ofclaim 11, wherein at least one of the central portion, the first lateralportion, or the second lateral portion comprises a separate housingconfigured to be coupled to the housing assembly providing a modularassembly.
 13. A battery assembly for a vehicle, comprising: a housingcomprising: a first outboard side, a second outboard side, a top surfacedisposed between the first outboard side and the second outboard side,and a vertical surface disposed between the first outboard side and thesecond outboard side; one or more battery units disposed within thehousing; and a mounting system configured to couple the housing to aplurality of frame rails of the vehicle via frame brackets coupled tothe plurality of frame rails of the vehicle, and wherein the top surfaceof the housing is located above a bottom surface of the plurality offrame rails.
 14. The battery assembly of claim 13, wherein the framebrackets span a height of the plurality of frame rails of the vehicle.15. The battery assembly of claim 13, wherein the mounting systemfurther comprises: housing brackets configured to be coupled to theframe brackets; and load members each having a first portion disposedadjacent to the top surface of the housing and a second portion disposedabove the top surface.
 16. The battery assembly of claim 15, wherein themounting system further comprises vibration isolators disposed betweenthe load members and the housing to reduce load transmission from theframe rails of the vehicle to the housing.
 17. The battery assembly ofclaim 15, wherein the frame brackets are configured to be coupled tooutboard sides of the plurality of frame rails of the vehicle and theload members are configured to be coupled with side surfaces of therespective frame brackets.
 18. The battery assembly of claim 13, whereinthe plurality of frame rails comprises a first frame rail and a secondframe rail, and wherein the frame brackets comprise a first forwardframe bracket and a first rearward frame bracket coupled to the firstframe rail and a second forward frame bracket and a second rearwardframe bracket coupled to the second frame rail.
 19. The battery assemblyof claim 13, wherein the housing further comprises a central portion, afirst lateral portion, and a second lateral portion, wherein at leastone of the central portion, the first lateral portion, or the secondlateral portion project upward relative to the top surface of thehousing.
 20. The battery assembly of claim 19, wherein at least one ofthe central portion, the first lateral portion, or the second lateralportion comprises a separate housing configured to be coupled to thehousing assembly providing a modular assembly.